Hilary Appelman

AARP is working to educate caregivers about the state’s paid family medical leave program, which has been increasing by double-digit percentages each year since 2021. It is also pushing for a comprehensive caregiver bill that would create a tax credit for family caregivers, expand respite care vouchers for middle-income families and ensure that people who leave jobs to care for family members can collect unemployment.

AARP is making a post-pandemic push to combat loneliness and social isolation by hosting a series of in-person events, including a trip to the New England Botanic Garden, ice cream socials and an outing to the Cambridge Jazz Festival. A 2023 advisory from the U.S. surgeon general declared increasing loneliness, isolation and lack of connection to be a public health crisis.